Athenian Federation
The Athenian Federation commonly named Athens is a regional power in control of the land belonging to the old countries of Greece, Bulgaria, Macedonia and Albania. The country has several large ethnic groups but the Greeks are by far the dominant group. Currently Athens has a Titoist way of government and is led by the Empress. The Athenian Federation consists of the following regions; * Autonomous City of Athens * Empire of Greece * Union of Albania * Duchy of Bulgaria * Union of Macedonia * Union of Antarctica * Union of Italy * Duchy of Palma All regions with the exception of the Autonomous City of Athens are divided in provinces. History Pre-20th Century Greece was the first area in Europe where advanced early civilizations emerged, beginning with the Cycladic civilization of the Aegean Sea, the Minoan civilization in Crete and then the Mycenaean civilization on the mainland. Later, city-states emerged across the Greek peninsula and spread to the shores of the Black Sea, South Italy and Asia Minor, reaching great levels of prosperity that resulted in an unprecedented cultural boom, that of classical Greece, expressed in architecture, drama, science and philosophy, and nurtured in Athens under a democratic environment. Athens and Sparta led the way in repelling the Persian Empire in a series of battles. Both were later overshadowed by Thebes and eventually Macedonia, with the latter under the guidance of Alexander the Great uniting and leading the Greek world to victory over the Persians. The Hellenistic period was brought only partially to a close two centuries later with the establishment of Roman rule over Greek lands in 146 BC. Many Greeks migrated to Alexandria, Antioch, Seleucia and the many other new Hellenistic cities in Asia and Africa founded in Alexander's wake. The subsequent mixture of Roman and Hellenic cultures took form in the establishment of the Byzantine Empire in 330 AD around Constantinople. Byzantium remained a major cultural and military power for the next 1,123 years, until the Fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Turks in 1453. On the eve of the Ottoman conquest, much of the Greek intelligentsia migrated to Italy and other parts of Europe not under Ottoman rule, playing a significant role in the Renaissance through the transmission of ancient Greek works to Western Europe. Nevertheless, the Ottoman millet system contributed to the cohesion of the Orthodox Greeks by segregating the various peoples within the empire based on religion, as the latter played an integral role in the formation of modern Greek identity. After the Greek War of Independence, successfully waged against the Ottoman Empire from 1821 to 1829, the nascent Greek state was finally recognized under the London Protocol in 1830. In 1827, Ioannis Kapodistrias, from Corfu, was chosen as the first governor of the new Republic. However, following his assassination, the Great Powers installed a monarchy under Otto, of the Bavarian House of Wittelsbach. In 1843, an uprising forced the King to grant a constitution and a representative assembly. Due to his unimpaired authoritarian rule, he was eventually dethroned in 1863 and replaced by Prince Vilhelm (William) of Denmark, who took the name George I and brought with him the Ionian Islands as a coronation gift from Britain. In 1877, Charilaos Trikoupis, who is attributed with the significant improvement of the country's infrastructure, curbed the power of the monarchy to interfere in the assembly by issuing the rule of vote of confidence to any potential prime minister. 1900-2010 At the beginning of the 20th Century Greece and the other states that form the Federation got away with the first World War relatively unharmed, there had been wars but the destruction as seen in other countries was not present. At the same time however the early decades of Greece saw a massive immigration of Greeks from Turkey. On 28 October 1940 an ultimatum was issued to Greece to surrender by the Fascist Italians, when this was refused the Greco-Italian War(a.k.a. The Great War of Greek Independence) started, initially the defending forces were successful however due to the backing of German forces the state succumbed to the invaders. Resistance continued until the end of the war at which Greece was granted its independence again. After World War 2 a relatively quiet period followed, the state was doing well and had remained neutral during the Cold War between the 2 big powers. Relations with Turkey were amended and the Republic was becoming a major player on European trade keeping close links with the socialist Yugoslavia. Around 1990 the first change began to happen with several areas becoming increasinggly unstable. As the new millennium came the Republic of Greece had almost fallen, numerous nations have formed after the fall, the United Kingdom being the most notable of all. This series of falling republics severely damaged the lands of the future Federation and effects would remain noticeable for a long time. The New Age(2010 - ) Only days after the foundation of the Republic of Greece it was already obvious the government was incapable of ruling their people and a terrible year followed without true rule or order in the area. This Republic encompassing Greece, Bulgaria, Macedonia and Albania had no influence at all which caused oligarchies and warlords to own reasonable parts of the lands. For the duration of the Republic it was a heaven for criminals, rich and others with bad intentions. With the rise of the Athenian Socialist Alliance in Athens and later the outlying areas of the Federation law&order returned. Criminals were prosecuted for their crimes and warlords were taken down, a true democratic system was founded centered in Athens but with the same rights granted to every citizen. As soon as the Federation was in order operations began in space with the creation of Lunar Outpost Athenia, in addition armed forces were trained and a navy was created. The Federation truly joined the major powers, to finish it off Athens even developed its stockpile of Nuclear Arms. The Athenian Federation has only seen violence abroad in a very short war against the Federated States of America, this conflict didn't live long due to domestic resistance against the war and especially some of the countries in the Coalition against Tahoe and the Federated States. Only days after the declaration of war a mutual cease fire was agreed upon and a few weeks later a formal white peace was signed. With Emperor Alexander being suspected of creating a revolutionary group and treason to the Assembly of the People both the Emperor as Empress were detained in their palace. After over a year of research the then President with the support of the Assembly ordered the arrest of the Emperor and Empress after an excape attempt. Due to the lack of a heir to the throne and the royal blood in the President the Assembly voted to elevate Nikita Akhatova to Empress and merge the Office of the President with the throne granting the new Empress executive powers. The position was established to carry over to future generations in the Akhatova line. With the power to do so the new Empress has ordered the arrests of suspected traitors and terrorists. A large group has been released again including the former Empress. The others were sentenced to prison varying from 1 year to a life sentence. Politics The Athenian Federation has a very democratic system with several layers of government the people can exercise direct control on through elections. For all layers of government elections are held every 4 years, the exception of course being the Empress. Empress The Empress is the official Head of State and Head of Government of the Athenian Federation, she enjoys full immunity and has all executive powers. The Office of the Empress is carried over through bloodline, if there is no heir available the Assembly of the People can elect a new Emperor or Empress. Magistrates The Council of Magistrates is chosen by the Assembly of the People and the Council, the complete Council of Magistrates is then again subject to approval from the Empress who can refuse to sanction it at will at which point negotiations have to start anew. While the amount of Magistrates may vary each formation the position of Chief Magistrate and the Ministry of General Affairs can not be dissolved. Both the Magistrate as the Ministry will head the Parliament as a whole. A Magistrate can be removed from their position by the President and Assembly of the People, once a Magistrate has been removed the Council and Assembly of the People will chose a new one to take over the position until the next election, this is again subject to approval by the Empress. The Second Council of Magistrates The Council The Council will exist from 500 Councilors, they are randomly chosen every 4 years by the 5000 Assemblymen. The official duties of the Council are to watch the Magistrates and Assembly of the People, they are expected to stand above the political parties and watch matters with a neutral eye. The Second Council Parties with a * are currently part of a ruling coalition The Assembly of the People The Assembly of the People is the main body for new laws to go through, with 5000 men it has to approve all new laws and proposed amendments to the constitution not to forget approve treaties and authorize declarations of war. For most legislation a simple majority of 50%+1 is required, however for consitutional amendments at least 4000 of the 5000 Assemblymen need the approve the new amendment. In addition it will take 1 year after the next elections before it can be executed. In this period the amendment can be blocked by a simple majority. The Second Assembly of the People Parties with a * are currently part of a ruling coalition Economy The Athenian Federation has a relatively free economic system, private ownership is allowed and even promoted however important sections such as power, gas, water, communication infrastructure, hospitals, etc. are partly or completely maintained by the government to prevent those important industries to be tainted with the market. In addition the government guarantees health care for everyone in the Athenian Federation. To allow for this and several other social security systems the government maintains a progressive tax system on income with the lowest paying only 13% and the highest incomes 52%. The economy enjoys a steady growth with an annual increase of the GDP of 5% and an inflation of 4.5%. Automatic price compensation is exercised fairly often so the purchasing power of the consumers stays the same. As said the Athenian Federation has an extensive social security system; people unable to work get a minimum income and people over the age of 70 a pension equal to the salary of an average worker. Every citizen within the Federation is able to pay their bills, supplies to live and go on vacation on average twice a year. The Athenian Federation mostly trades with European countries but has partners worldwide. Military The Armed Forces of the Athenian Federation are divided in 4 different branches, the Hellenic Army, the Hellenic Air Force, the Hellenic Navy and the Hellenic Coast Guard. Together they are led by the Magistrate of Defense with their official Commander in Chief being the President of the Athenian Federation. Hellenic Army The HA is the main ground force of the Athenian Federation, they are responsible for the protection of borders and will be responsible for offensive operations during times of war. The Athenian Liberation Army is commanded by the highest officer within the Army, he or she will generally have the rank of Field Marshal. Hellenic Air Force The HAF is responsible for the protection of Athenian airspace and will be in charge of offensive Air Operations during times of war. The Air Force is led by the highest officer within the Air Force, he or she will generally have the rank of Air Marshal. Hellenic Navy The HLN is the blue-water force of the Athenian Federation, commanded by the highest officer generally with the rank of Fleet Admiral it projects Athenian power on the world oceans protecting Athenian commercial shipping in peace time and launching offensive operations in wartime. Hellenic Coast Guard While officially its own military branch individual from the Navy it is commander by the Commander of the Navy and uses similar academies for training. The Coast Guard is tasked with protecting territorial waters against crime and illegal entry. Thracians The Deathstalkers are an officially non-existent branch of the Hellenic Armed Forces, they do not have to listen to the Department of Defense nor are they limited by any Athenian laws when executing their duty. The Deathstalkers are under direct command of the Office of the President. These men and women are tasked with protecting the Athenian Federation against current and future threats, in their duty they will infiltrate other nations, perform counter-terrorism and deal with hostage situations. They are also tasked with protecting the President in cooperation with the Presidential Guard. The Deathstalkers are composed of around 10,000 men and women of all kind of professions from cyber warfare to front line soldiers. Category:Athenian Federation Category:Nations